also this lunchtime... a warning, last year's record breaking temperatures, will be considered cool by the end of the century, unless there's action, on climate change. police say the singer, sinead o'connor's death, isn't being treated as suspicious, after her body was discovered at her london home. and food help for vulnerable children in the summer holidays, is hit by higher costs, as councils freeze or cut support. and coming up on bbc news... after a bright start, england lose quick wickets on day one of the fifth test as they bid to level the ashes series.

hello. british gas says earnings at its energy supply arm, have soared nearly 900%. it comes after new rules allowed the firm to make more money from household gas bills. £969 million are the reported profits for the first six months of this year, that's a tenfold increase on the same period last year following the outbreak of the war in ukraine. the bumper profits come at a sensitive time with households and businesses struggling with rising costs. our business correspondent, theo leggett, has our top story. bumper theo leggett, has our top story. profits may be go shareholders, bumper profits may be good news for shareholders, but for british gas customers, like the single mum, they are a recipe for anger and frustration. it are a recipe for anger and frustration.— are a recipe for anger and frustration. , , ., ., frustration. it is 'ust unfair on the consumer. _ frustration. it isjust unfair on the consumer. where - frustration. it isjust unfair on the consumer. where are - frustration. it isjust unfair on | the consumer. where are they frustration. it isjust unfair on - the consumer. where are they giving that profit and passing it down to

us? , , ., , that profit and passing it down to us? , ., , us? over the past year she has seen dramatic increases _ us? over the past year she has seen dramatic increases in _ us? over the past year she has seen dramatic increases in her _ us? over the past year she has seen dramatic increases in her monthly i dramatic increases in her monthly energy bills and she's had to make sacrifices. it energy bills and she's had to make sacrifices. . , , . . ., . , sacrifices. it was difficult choices to make. sacrifices. it was difficult choices to make- one — sacrifices. it was difficult choices to make. one of— sacrifices. it was difficult choices to make. one of the _ sacrifices. it was difficult choices to make. one of the biggest - sacrifices. it was difficult choices | to make. one of the biggest ones sacrifices. it was difficult choices i to make. one of the biggest ones is i have actually stopped contributing to my pension. not going out as much, in terms of going out for meals, save whatever i can and where i can and my mobile bills, look to see what i can reduce it where i possibly can. fix, see what i can reduce it where i possibly can-— possibly can. a large part of british gas _ possibly can. a large part of british gas profits, - possibly can. a large part of british gas profits, half - possibly can. a large part of british gas profits, half a i possibly can. a large part of- british gas profits, half a billion came because of gem allowed suppliers take extra money from customers bills. this was to make up for losses last year when those supplies had to sell electricity and gas to consumers for less than it cost them to buy it on international markets. today, off gem stress these extra profits were a one to offset genuine losses linked to covid and the war in ukraine. it insisted they would full back significantly to

more reasonable and modest levels. but british gas is part of the energy giant centrica, which produces gas and electricity and which itself made billions of pounds from soaring energy prices last year, even as consumers were feeling the pinch. the prime minister, seen here visiting a housing development in london, insists he has already taken action. i in london, insists he has already taken action.— in london, insists he has already taken action. ~ ., , ., taken action. i know the number one challenae taken action. i know the number one challenge families _ taken action. i know the number one challenge families are _ taken action. i know the number one challenge families are facing - taken action. i know the number one challenge families are facing up - taken action. i know the number one challenge families are facing up and | challenge families are facing up and down the country is the cost of living and in particular, their energy bills. that is why i took the decision when i was chancellor to introduce a windfall tax on the energy companies, so we are taxing these when full profits of energy companies and we are using that money to help us pay around half of the typical family's energy bill. but labour says the windfall tax is inadequate and its own energy policy would be much tougher. the government _ would be much tougher. the government was _ would be much tougher. the government was dragged kicking and screaming _ government was dragged kicking and screaming to do a windfall tax in the first— screaming to do a windfall tax in the first place. then the introduced lot the first place. then the introduced ioi of— the first place. then the introduced lot of loopholes and the people paying — lot of loopholes and the people paying through the nose for this are

businesses — paying through the nose for this are businesses and families up and down the countrx — businesses and families up and down the country. that is why a labour government would end the loopholes and tackle _ government would end the loopholes and tackle the cost of living crisis — and tackle the cost of living crisis. , ., ., , crisis. the upheaval in the energy markets last _ crisis. the upheaval in the energy markets last year _ crisis. the upheaval in the energy markets last year was _ crisis. the upheaval in the energy markets last year was dramatic i crisis. the upheaval in the energy i markets last year was dramatic and even though their bills were capped, consumers paid a heavy price. so one—off or not, news of record earnings are british gas is unlikely to be warmly received. british gas, they are not the only energy company making profits? irate energy company making profits? - have had results from scottishpower and edf and they have reported big increases in profits and for the same reason. this measure that ofgem put in place allowing them to recover losses from last year when wholesale prices on the international markets spiked after the war in ukraine and covid effects. they were losing money because they had to sell electricity for less than it cost them to buy it. so it is kind of compensation they are receiving now. the reason this measure was put in place to

stop these companies going bust and is controversial is because all of these three companies are involved in producing energy. in centrica's case, it produces a lot of gas and the others produce nuclear power and so on. so they have benefited from upstream energy prices. it is questionable whether it is fair to allow them to recover money from consumers when at least part of their business was making huge sums anyway. their business was making huge sums an a . ., ~' their business was making huge sums an a . . ~ , ., the british oil and gas giant shell said profits fell to 5.9 billion in the april—to—june period, partly due to the fall in prices. shell said it had also been selling less oil and gas and making lower profits on refining. the met office says 2022, which saw record—breaking heat across the uk, will be regarded as a "cool" year by the end of this century.

last year was the warmest on record, but the met office's state of the climate report says last year's those temperatures become the average by 2060. our environment correspondent matt mcgrath reports. last summer's searing heatwave sparked wildfires across the uk with more than 800 on the hottest day injuly when temperatures broke through a0 celsius for the first time. these blistering conditions also had significant impacts on human health with thousands more deaths in the over 65s than usual in england and wales acrossjuly and august. this new met office report shows that the persistent heat wasn't confined to summer, with every month apart from december warmer than the long—term average. this saw 2022 become the uk's warmest year in records dating back to 1884. driving all this, according to the researchers, our ongoing emissions of carbon dioxide from human activities. if these stay constant, an exceptional year like 2022

will become the norm for the uk. if you look at the summer of 2022, this really gives us a feel for a sign of things to come. the summer was very hot, it was very dry, we saw wildfires, we had drought conditions across most of england and wales, and that really is a sign of things to come. probably the first summer we have seen that has that trend of hotter, drier summers. researchers say that in the uk temperature extremes are increasing much faster than the average. this will likely see far more high temperature records broken in the years to come, potentially by quite wide margins. but even though these higher temperatures will become increasingly likely in a warmer world, the uk still has much further to go to properly prepare for this new normal. government advisers say that the uk is still not treating adapting to climate change as a national priority. matt mcgrath, bbc news. the heat emergency across

the mediterranean continues with a threat of new wildfires throughout the region. on the greek island of rhodes there have been fresh outbreaks in some woodland areas that are tinder dry. there are now fires raging on the greek mainland, with evacuation orders issued for areas close to two cities. in algeria, funerals have been held for some of the 3a victims of the fires there, the highest number of dead for any country so far. food and medical supplies have begun to arrive in the worst hit areas. and firefighters in italy are still battling blazes. here water—bombing aircraft are in action, near palermo in sicily. sofia bettitza, is in calabria in southern italy for us now. is there any sign that things might be improving where you are? elise.

be improving where you are? clive, it has been — be improving where you are? clive, it has been tough _ be improving where you are? clive, it has been tough here. _ be improving where you are? clive, it has been tough here. the - be improving where you are? cl s:, it has been tough here. the heatwave this year in italy has been so long and so intense that firefighters are stretched. they have had to battle nearly 2000 wildfires in the last few days. behind me you can see the aftermath of one of those fires. that used to be greenery, this region is famous for its nature. now it is completely burnt to the ground. if you look over here, you will be able to see a burned down laurie, a carand will be able to see a burned down laurie, a car and a small boat. and if you look up, he will be able to see the flames reached that village leading to hundreds of people having to be evacuated. we spoke to a woman who lives in that building and she told us that within seconds her home caught fire and that it was terrifying. herfamily managed caught fire and that it was terrifying. her family managed to get themselves to safety, but several people in southern italy

have died, trapped in their homes because of the fire. clive, last night the government introduced emergency measures to help families and businesses deal with the heatwave. but the fear here in southern italy is that strong winds and scorching temperatures could lead to more fires and that could cause more loss of life.- cause more loss of life. sophia, thank you _ cause more loss of life. sophia, thank you for— cause more loss of life. sophia, thank you for that. _ police say the death of the singer sinead o'connor is not being treated as suspicious. best known for the song nothing compares 2 u, she was 56. her body was discovered yesterday, at her home in london. our entertainment correspondent colin paterson is at the nominations for the mercury prize for music in central london. one suspect she might have been on the minds of quite of the few people

there today, colin?— there today, colin? absolutely, clive. musician _ there today, colin? absolutely, clive. musician still— there today, colin? absolutely, clive. musician still trying - there today, colin? absolutely, clive. musician still trying to . there today, colin? absolutely, i clive. musician still trying to come to terms with the news that sinead o'connor was found dead in london. she had been living in ireland and had only moved to london in the last month and the nominated acts, so many of them paying tribute. i have just been speaking to an irish folk act and how he said there was a collective state of national mourning in ireland. they are from dublin, sinead o'connor's home town. they said it was impossible to put into words the influence she had had over irish music. they told me about her recently, five years ago, they had to play at shane mcgowan's birthday party. to the horror, sinead o'connor was added to the bill at the last minute and it was the hardest act they ever had to follow because she was on immediately before them, that is how brilliant she was. i have been speaking tojessie ware, the english tsongas songwriter about just speaking tojessie ware, the english tsongas songwriter aboutjust how important sinead o'connor was to

her. ijust remember nothing compares 2 u and just asking my dad to play it in the back of the car all the time and you saw that video and that performance. ijust think she was a trailblazer and will be sorely missed. elsewhere, annie lennox is amongst the many musicians to be paying tribute, describing sinead o'connor as fierce and fragile, bold and beautiful. ., ., ,., as fierce and fragile, bold and beautiful. ., ., ., ,, beautiful. colin paterson, thank ou. a man who shot dead a custody sergeant while handcuffed in a police cell in south london in 2020 has been sentenced to life imprisonment. louis de zoysa, was convicted of murdering sergeant matt rar—tanna of murdering sergeant matt ratana in a holding cell in croydon. he had claimed diminished responsibility but the judge said it was premeditated and he had gone to great lengths to conceal the weapon

from officers. the "routine" housing of unaccompanied child asylum seekers in hotels is unlawful, according to a ruling by the high court today. legal action was brought against the home office by a children's charity, claiming the arrangements were not fit for purpose. our political correspondent jonathan blake is at westminster. bit of a blow for the government, jonathan? bit of a blow for the government, jonathan? , , ., ., , , ., jonathan? figures show last year 3000 under _ jonathan? figures show last year 3000 under 18-year-olds - jonathan? figures show last year| 3000 under 18-year-olds seeking 3000 under i8—year—olds seeking asylum were housed in hotels for any period of time and many hundreds of those have sometime gone missing. and the practice, as you say, was described by campaigners in two local authorities is not fit for purpose. it has been ruled by the high court today as unlawful and mr justice chamberlain said it should only happen in emergencies for very short periods of time, but it becomes systematic and routine. and in overseeing that, he said the home secretary had exceeded the proper

limits of her powers. campaigners who brought this case have welcomed the ruling but described it as a scandal that the practice has been used as so many children housed in that way have since gone missing. the government had argued this was only being used as a safety net and a matter of necessity. there has been no response formally from the home office, but a government source has suggested the outcome of this ruling will mean it is local authorities, whose legal obligation it is to provide children in this situation with proper care, will now how's those individuals rather than them being placed in hotels. jonathan, thank you. in the last few minutes president putin said ukraine's military offensive has intensified. the general in charge of ukraine s counter offensive against russian forces in the south of the country has told the bbc that complex defensive lines and minefields

are proving difficult to breach. ukrainian forces have taken ground, but the going is tough. from ukraine, our defence correspondentjonathan beale has the latest. hidden in a forest, evidence of ukraine's stuttering offensive in the south. a makeshift repair yard trying to salvage not old soviet equipment, but recently donated western armour. these us made bradleys may have saved lives, but they have also been damaged by what is slowing them down. russian minefields. sergei says some can't be repaired so they will scavenge the parts. this was the same brigade in the first days of the offensive, especially trained and equipped by the west to break through defences. instead they became an easy target and fodder for russian propaganda. it's ukraine's infantry who are having to make

the hard yards on foot, all the more difficult to hold ground without armour. it has been painful to watch for this drone pilot. he has seen brutal new tactics. this is what he recently filmed when ukrainian troops, advancing from the bottom right, tried to capture a russian trench. it was empty but rigged with explosives. on the russian front trenches they leave remote—controlled mines and when the soldiers get to the trenches the mines explode and kill ourfriends, it's a new weapon. ukraine is now using a new weapon too, one that is banned by more than 100 countries. this us supplied howitzer is firing on russian infantry positions and for the first time we are seeing them using cluster munitions. the ukrainian general overseeing the sudden offensive defended the use.

he says he is facing a more difficult enemy. translation: idon't- underestimate the enemy, they have created all the conditions that prevent us from moving forward quickly, but their weakness is they don't care about their people. how can i decide if your offensive is a success or a failure? i wouldn't be talking to you now if the counteroffensive wasn't successful. he said he has still to commit his main strike force. there are reports that may now be happening. the bodies of dead russian soldiers and destroyed tanks show ukraine is advancing, but on this battlefield there is also wrecked western armour, including these british supplied vehicles. ukraine says it needs patience and time. jonathan beale, bbc

news, southern ukraine. our top story this afternoon. half—yearly profits at british gas rise ten fold to almost a billion pounds. archive: news that communist troops have invaded southern korea. - and a special report from south korea 70 years after the armistice was signed. coming up on bbc news... the defending champions usa survive a scare at the women's world cup to come from behind to draw with the netherlands in a repeat of the 2019 final. the bbc has found that rising food costs have driven down the value of summer—holiday support for children on free school meals. some councils in england offer help like vouchers, cash or meals to eligible pupils. support in scotland and wales depends on where you live

and there's nothing provided in northern ireland. charities are warning thousands are still facing hunger. our education correspondent, elaine dunkley, has that story. so let's put a little bit of cinnamon in. not too much. across the country, schools have been preparing for the summer holidays, but this isn't a cookery class for children. at westleigh methodist primary school in leigh. head teacher, mrs moragrega, has been giving lessons to parents to help them make and plan cheap, nutritious meals for the next six weeks. we had our own business for seven years and then covid struck and then everything just went pear shaped. these parents have all recently become eligible for free school meals because of changing circumstances and difficult times. when they're all together at home it's breakfasts, it's dinners, it's teas, snacks in between, it's suppers. and the weekly shop can go from anywhere from a normal school day, which is like £100 a week to over £200 when they're all off school. here in leigh, children who usually

get free school meals will receive a £15 a week food voucher throughout the summer, but it varies across the country. did anyone else want a drink? me, please. councils are also providing funding for holiday activity and food clubs, like this one in stockport. children on free school meals are a priority, but there's concern about families on low incomes who don't qualify for additional help. you've got loads of organisations like mine who let everyone in the door who needs it, but then actually don't receive the funding for it. so you're having to constantly fundraise to pay for the extras because you can't turn them away. there's loads of kids who are in short—term situations that won't be eligible but desperately need the support. we meet them here every holidays. for those children who come here, this place means a lot. we go to the park and have picnics and i think it'sjust overall great because you get food and drinks. how are we doing? good?

the cost of living crisis is changing the way people shop. this is the bounty club in harlow, essex. there are schemes like this across the country offering heavily discounted food which would otherwise end up in landfill. there we go, that's all cauliflower. you can get two bag fulls if you're a big family for £5, so it really does help us. zoe is a full time carerfor her husband. three of her children each receive a voucher worth £75 for the duration of the holiday. but because of the rising cost of basic essentials, it doesn't stretch as far as it did last year. cereals have gone up by an extra £1.50. fruit and veg, it's gone up everywhere. and that's another reason why we come here. don't be proud. come and help yourself. we were proud, but we come once a week. for me, this is a good thing. the government says it's invested more than £200 million into holiday activity and food programmes in england to help support families on low incomes.

it's schemes like this that are giving families a break from the financial worries over the summer holidays. do you like tomatoes? elaine dunkley, bbc news. the high court has ruled that prince harry can sue the publisher of the sun for unlawful information gathering. but the judge decided that time had run out for the duke of sussex to pursue his claims about phone hacking. tom symonds is at the high court. tom, was this expected? well, prince har had tom, was this expected? well, prince harry had six — tom, was this expected? well, prince harry had six years — tom, was this expected? well, prince harry had six years under _ tom, was this expected? well, prince harry had six years under the - tom, was this expected? well, prince harry had six years under the law- tom, was this expected? well, prince harry had six years under the law to i harry had six years under the law to claim about phone hacking in the court and many of the allegations he made go back several decades, so the question what has he ran out of time? his case was that he couldn't have sued news group newspapers, the publisher of the sun, because the palace had a secret agreement which meant it wouldn't suit those newspapers and would settle at some point in the future. the judge

decided the evidence for that was vague and limited. he said it became pretty clear at around 2012 there was a big phone hacking scandal and if the prince had exercised reasonable diligence he could have got his lawyers onto the case. so there will be no trial about phone hacking by the sun and prince harry, but there will be a trial potentially by his allegations that private investigators working for the newspaper got private information about him unlawfully. that would happen next year. tom, thank you. tom, thank you. the north korean leader kimjong un has been meeting russia's defence minister in pyongyang. a chinese delegation is also in the capital for celebrations marking the 70th anniversary, of the korean war armistice. north and south are technically still at war because no peace agreement was reached when the conflict ended and tens of thousands of south korean prisoners have never been freed. here's jean mackenzie. war is usually a cause

for commemoration. but in pyongyang, its one for celebration. the red—carpet treatment for the vip guests to the party. russia's defence minister, sergei shoigu. the pre—party was a tour of north korea's finest nuclear weapons. and its latest model of drones. is mr kim hoping for a new customer? these weapons could any day be used against south korea. a reminder this war is not over. archive: a set of documents | is signed by general harrison. the armistice was only supposed to be temporary, but a peace treaty never followed, trapping these countries in a perpetual state of war. we are here at the korean war

memorial, but this war is so much more than just memories for koreans, they are still living with the consequences of this today. because, of course, the peninsula is still divided, families are still separated and tens of thousands of south korean soldiers who were held captive in the north have never been returned. this man is one of the very few soldiers whose managed to escape. after 5a years in a north korean coalmine, which took three of his fingers and the life of his only son, he fled aged 77. translation: i was all alone and scared i could face - a meaningless death at any moment. at what point did you give up hope that anybody was going to come for you? north korea was saying it didn't have any prisoners of war, so nobody questioned it. it seemed as if the south korean government didn't make any effort to retrieve us. in south korea, the president casts

a more sombre shadow as the remains of seven soldiers are finally brought home to rest. by the time lee arrived home, already old and frail, his parents had passed away. he's since struggled to find peace on his own. to find peace of his own. "we need to be reunified, we are one people, we cannot be divided," he tells me. but his dream of reunification feels ever more illusionary. jean mackenzie, bbc news, seoul. in the women's football world cup hosts australia have been beaten three happen two by nigeria. england are making theirfinal preparations ahead of their second world cup match against denmark tomorrow. there are corners of australia not for the faint—hearted. being here is a test of nerve.

as one of the big beasts in this world cup, england should be sitting comfortably following their opening win against haiti, but their performance didn't really capture the imagination and has left many hungry for more. england are yet to fully spring into action here in australia and find the sort of form that propelled them all the way to the european championship. the game with denmark could be the perfect time to put that right. goals have been in short supply for england recently. a georgia stanway penalty was enough to see them past haiti but they have not scored in open play since april. the performances are there. i think in moments in games you see really good performances by individuals and the collective team as well. it's just, like we say, being a bit more ruthless, being a bit more clinical in front of goal and i don't think people would talk as much about performance and results then. denmark are back at a world cup for the first time in 16 years. in striker pernille harder they have one of the game's great talents and someone who knows england well,

having played alongside millie bright at chelsea. she is tough, she is, like i say, goes 110% into everything she does. it will be difficult, but i will do everything i can do to also make it difficult for her. england will have a plan to deal with harder, but they are not giving anything away. inside the base camp they have been finalising preparations. those expecting wholesale changes might be disappointed. i do think serena will probably stick with the same team and start with alessia russo up top again because she just likes the continuity i think and they found a way, they got a result, and perhaps she will just say to each individual and collectively, "these are the areas we can be better in." the mood in the camp is upbeat. soon we will find out who has made the cut against denmark, but can they stamp their name on the tournament? katie gornall, bbc news, sydney.

cricket and the fifth and final men s ashes test of the summer is under way at the oval. australia lead the series 2—1 and put england into bat this morning. but after a bright start the hosts lost three quick wickets. of course this match matters, look into the eyes of these players, it's the ashes, there is always motivation, like limiting australia post—match celebrations. a draw of 2-2 post—match celebrations. a draw of 2—2 sounds better than losing it 3—1 and on the balance of the series england will feel maybe that is the least they deserve. sack rowley back into his rhythm. remember has match defining innings in the last test match which was won by the weather? ben duckett always likes to try quickly, they are the type that the captains admire. look at this, look left at screen, crawley and umpire, evasive action. both england's opening batters enjoyed fortune, both were dropped. can't fault steve smith was my agility here. on 41

duckett was caught. that touched his glove, revealed by the review. crawley on 22 and this time steve smith held on, catching is always a crucial part of the cricket, well worth the pain. coming here, regret on the face ofjoe root. could he have played that differently? almost certainly. harry brooke dropped on five was taking risks and getting away with it. as fortune favoured the brave, england's philosophy depends on it. joe wilson, bbc news at the oval. many of them belong to the crown and killing one was considered an offence, but the annual royal tradition of counting swans on the river thames has revealed a sharp drop in numbers. the census, known as "swan upping", shows numbers of young swans have fallen by almost 40% compared with last year. the decline has been blamed on avian flu but also a growing problem of violence, including shootings, catapult attacks and dogs killing swans. time for a look at the weather, here's ben rich. good afternoon. i am starting in the

south—east of